The Merit of the Father and Grandfather

And Jacob said: O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the God Who said to me: return to your country and your birthplace,  and I will do good to you.                                                              Genesis 32:10

            In his time of trouble and fear, Jacob prayed that God remember the merits of his father and grandfather on his behalf (z’chut avot) and save him from his brother Esau.

            My father raised an obvious question: Abraham and Isaac are Esau’s ancestors as well. Why then would Jacob expect the z’chut avot to benefit him more than his twin brother?

            Perhaps the simplest answer is that while Esau is the physical descendant of Abraham and Isaac, Jacob was their spiritual descendant as well. Therefore, Jacob was more deserving of z’chut avot than Esau. My father related this to our Sages’ comment on the verse “for in Isaac will your seed be called” (Genesis 21:12). Our Sages note that the verse does not say “for Isaac will be called ...” but “in Isaac”, and understand this to mean “not all of Isaac’s descendants”, referring specifically to Jacob and excluding Esau. Esau’s exclusion derived from his failure to follow in his ancestors’ spiritual footsteps.

            My father offered a second answer: Jacob’s prayer was that he be saved from Esau, not that Esau be given into his hand or be harmed in any way. Thus, Jacob’s prayer to invoke z’chut avot in no way interfered with Esau’s z’chut avot. This approach takes note of Jacob’s high moral standards.  Though he fears Esau may intend to kill him, Jacob’s prayer is simply for his own safety, not for any harm to befall his adversary.

            The contemporary relevance of this approach in the ongoing conflict between the descendants of Abraham is obvious.